Bio je pomalo čudan, ali je brzo postao miran i prijateljski nastrojen prema meni. Pošto nisam poznavao nikoga i po prirodi sam bio pomalo stidljiv, brzo sam prihvatao svakog prijatelja koji bi mi se ukazao. Ipak, čim je počeo da priča o tome kako da se „hakuje“ SEAL trening (znaš, kako da izbegneš obaveze), shvatio sam da moram da se distanciram od njega odmah.
“Try not to get your greens issued to you,” he told me within minutes of our first meeting. “Greens” are the old Vietnam-style uniforms that SEAL trainees wore.
„Pokušaj da ti ne dodele ‘greens’,” rekao mi je ubrzo posle našeg prvog susreta. “Greens” su stare uniforme iz vijetnamskog stila koje su nosili kandidati za SEAL.
“Why not?” I replied with honest curiosity.
„Zašto ne?” odgovorio sam iskreno radoznalo.
“Because once you have them, they’ll make you start PT-ing every day.” PT is military talk for physical training.
„Zato što kad ih dobiješ, one će te primorati da svakog dana ideš na PT.” PT je vojni izraz za fizičku obuku.
“Um, dude, that’s why I’m here,” I said, walking away.
„Hm, brate, to je upravo razlog zašto sam ovde,” rekao sam i otišao.
I think that guy made it all of a week before he, like many others, quit SEAL training.
Mislim da je tom momku to bilo svega nedelju dana, pre nego što je, kao i mnogi drugi, odustao od SEAL obuke.
Not my first rodeo
Going to BUD/S wasn’t my first experience in special operations training, and I had already learned to spot the posers and those who’d soon quit. This guy was one of them. I knew I needed to separate myself from him. No doubt this sounds a bit harsh, even a bit unfriendly and selfish, but I’ve learned that I—by myself—am not sufficient to achieve any level of greatness without having great people around me. And this guy wasn’t the kind of guy I needed around me.
Poseta BUD/S nije bio moj prvi susret sa obukom za specijalne operacije, i već sam naučio da prepoznam one koji lažno prikazuju svoje sposobnosti i one koji bi uskoro odustali. Ovaj tip je bio jedan od njih. Znao sam da moram da se izolujem od njega. Verovatno zvuči pomalo strogo, čak i neprijateljski i sebično, ali sam naučio da nisam dovoljan sam po sebi da postignem bilo kakav nivo veličine bez snažne podrške ljudi oko mene. A ovaj momak није bio tip koji mi je trebao pored sebe.
We all form and maintain relationships in our lives for a variety of reasons: They make us feel comfortable, complacent, competitive, strong. For Navy SEALs, at the top of the list is the desire to grow and excel. That’s why elite units and high performers tend to stick together. And that’s why the answer to that age-old mom question, “If your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” is yes.
Svi mi stvaramo i održavamo veze u našim životima iz različitih razloga: one nas čine udobnijima, manje sumnjičavima, više konkurentnima i jačima. Za mornaričke SEAL-ove, na vrhu liste je želja za rastom i napretkom. Zbog toga elitne jedinice i visokoperformansi obično ostaju zajedno. Zato i odgovor na staro majčino pitanje: „Ako bi ti prijatelji skočili sa litice, bi li i ti?” jeste – da.
We human beings tend to couple with our environment. Over time, others’ beliefs and actions naturally drift toward us. We begin to think as others think and do as others do. It is for this reason that, in SEAL training, when someone quits, they are immediately removed from all contact with the other students.
Mi ljudi smo skloni da se povezujemo sa okruženjem. Vremenom, uverenja i postupci drugih prirodno se uvlače ka nama. Počinjemo da razmišljamo kao drugi i da radimo kao drugi. Zbog toga, u SEAL obuci, kada neko odustane, on se odmah uklanja iz svih kontakata sa ostalim polaznicima.
The real way the truth works
It has been said that all truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. I’ve seen this firsthand as a SEAL and sniper instructor:
Priče kažu da istina prolazi kroz tri faze: prvo joj se podsmevaju, drugo je oštro osporavaju, a treće je prihvataju kao očiglednu. Ovo sam video iz prve ruke kao SEAL i instruktor snajpera:
1. A dude arrives at BUD/S: “Hell no, I’ll never quit. That’s ridiculous.”
1. „Ljudi dolaze na BUD/S: „Ma kakvi ma, nikada neću odustati. To je smešno.”
2. His buddy quits after the first week: “Man, I hope I don’t do that.”
2. „Njegov drug odustaje posle prve nedelje: „Ig, nadam se da ja to neću uraditi.”
3. He grabs dinner with the quitter, who launches into a rant about how he wants to get out of the Navy and go into some different career: “Yeah, that totally makes sense. What in the hell was I thinking being a SEAL? I’ve got a family to take care of.”
3. On večera sa onim ko je odustao i on krene u tiradu o tome kako želi da napusti mornaricu i krene u neku drugu karijeru: „Da, to stvarno ima smisla. Šta sam uopšte mislio kad sam postao SEAL? Moram da brinem o porodici.”
Truth be told, this happened to me the first time I went to SEAL training. Because of the “swim buddies” around me, I went from “I’d never quit” to “What in the hell am I doing here?” in a matter of weeks.
Istina je: to se desilo i meni kad sam prvi put krenuo na SEAL obuku. Zbog „plivačkih saputnika“ oko mene, prešao sam od „Nikada neću odustati” do „Šta uopšte radim ovde?” za svega nekoliko nedelja.
Choose your swim buddies: You are who you hang out with
The people you spend time with—your friends, family, and coworkers—all form a current around you, and if that current isn’t heading in the direction you want to go, you’re going to find yourself stagnant or floating in the wrong direction. That’s why it’s so important to choose swim buddies who share your goals and watch your back.
Ljudi sa kojima provodiš vreme — prijatelji, porodica i saradnici — čine neki tok oko tebe, i ako taj tok ne ide ka smeru koji želiš, naći ćeš se zaglavljen ili plutaš u pogrešnom pravcu. Zato je izuzetno važno birati saputnike za plivanje koji dele tvoje ciljeve i koji ti čuvaju ledja.
“Hey,” a fellow student decided to say to me one day after PT, “I noticed that you were resting your legs on the ground when we were doing flutter kicks.”
„Hej,” rekao mi je jedan kolega posle PT-a, „Primetio sam da odmaraš noge na tlu dok smo radili flutter kicks.”
“Yeah, I guess I was. I think I was just trying to catch a break every chance I had.”
„Da, verovatno jesam. Mislim da sam samo pokušavao da uhvatim pauzu svaki čas koji sam imao.”
“You don’t want to do that,” he said. “You’re going to need those hip flexors strong for our ocean swim tests, and this is the best way to do that.”
„Ne želiš da radiš to,” rekao je. „Tebi će trebati jaki fleksori kuka za naše testove plivanja u okeanu, a ovo je najbolji način da ih ojačaš.”
Turns out, that guy was a competitive swimmer from Stanford University who knew how to move in the water. His advice raised my game rather than dragging it down, and was clearly different from the guy who tried to teach me how to avoid PT altogether. The reason this story has stuck with me for so long is that, in training, I once had a “do or die” swim test that I passed by mere seconds. It’s all about having good people around you!
Ispostavilo se da je taj momak bio takmičarski plivač sa Univerziteta Stanford koji je znao kako da se kreće kroz vodu. Njegov savet je podigao moju igru, nije je srušio, i bio je očigledno drugačiji od tipa koji me pokušavao da nauči kako da izbegnem PT potpuno. Razlog što mi je ova priča ostala u sećanju toliko dugo je što sam na obuci jednom imao test plivanja „do ili mrtav” koji sam prešao doslovno u poslednjim sekundama. Sve se svodi na to da imaš dobre ljude oko sebe!
When you have solid people around, they help you to grow and to see that which you were blind to so that you can adjust your actions to better suit your ambitions. It’s not just about having people who can hold us accountable for what we do and don’t do, but people who stick with us while we’re figuring shit out. Good people keep us tenacious, and tenacity is what allows you to produce amazing results for yourself and others.
Kada imaš čvrste ljude oko sebe, oni ti pomažu da rasteš i da otkriješ ono šta si ranije promašio, kako bi prilagodio svoje postupke svojim ambicijama. Ništa nije samo u tome da imajuš ljude koji te drže odgovornim za ono što radiš ili ne radiš, već i ljude koji ostaju uz tebe dok rešavaš stvari. Dobre ljude držiš na žilama i upornost je ono što ti omogućava da ostvariš neverovatne rezultate za sebe i druge.
As a father, a businessman, and a former Navy SEAL, I’m adamant that I must have good people around me who provide solid and exceptional examples, and who don’t take any of my shit or else I’ll float off into some weird space that would, no doubt, land me homeless on a beach somewhere instead of where I should be—riding the current of my life.
Kao otac, preduzetnik i bivši Navy SEAL, čvrsto sam uveren da moram imati dobre ljude oko sebe koji postavljaju čvrste i izuzetne primere, i koji mi neće dozvoliti da razmišljam i ponašam se bezobzirno, jer inače bih završio u nekom čudnom prostoru koji bi mi sigurno doneo beskućništvo na nekoj plaži umesto toga da sledim tok svog života.
With my swim buddies at my side.
Sa svojim saputnicima za plivanje uz mene.
Debrief
- Do you have an example of hanging out with the WRONG person in life?
- Da li imate primer da ste se družili sa pogrešnom osobom u životu?
- How about an example of hanging out with the RIGHT person in life?
